46

Today is my 46th birthday. I'm still excited and still grateful to have made it this far. In addition to celebrating another year of life despite the sometimes questionable decisions I make (this bad habit is admittedly getting better each year I live), my 46th birthday means it's the start of year two of my five year quest to see more of this planet we live on. I feel even more fortunate now than I did a year ago.

Today I am declaring year one of my project a success, with an acknowledgement that there is a long way to go. In the past year, I have broadened my horizons by traveling to five new countries (Germany, Austria, Iceland, Spain and Morocco, in that order) and have added Africa to my continent collection. I've also revisited two of my favorite destinations in the United States in Las Vegas and Kentucky. Of all my specific goals I committed to in my first post in this blog, I have been to one of the promised two new continents, haven't seen Alaska or Hawaii but have made it to Barcelona. Not bad for twelve months. There are 48 more to go, God willing.

I don't think I'm traveling just to be there; I think I'm making the most of my experiences. I've had pretzels and beer in Bavaria; climbed the Alps (admittedly with help from a number of buses); been treated like a V.I.P. at the Maker's Mark distillery; walked on a glacier; sat in geothermally heated hot baths while snow fell on my head; learned about the Yule Lads in Iceland and Francisco Goya in Spain; seen a flamenco performance and drank where Hemingway drank in Madrid; eaten street food and watched snake charmers in Marrakech; and visited the works of one of the world's Art Nouveau masters in Barcelona. I've also seen a glimmer of the darker side of humanity through my visit to Dachau's disgusting concentration camp and a bullfight where four animals were tormented and ultimately killed. Leaving the safety of home is not always happy, but I've really been OK all the way.

Iceland's Blue Lagoon: sitting in 100 degree water with snow falling around you.

I haven't made any of my trips in the last year alone, which makes me very lucky to have such great friends who will suffer through my sometimes overly planned journeys with schedules and terms like "float." I've been thrown off now and then but I've never let the journey detract from drinking in the entire experience. I may have had to sit around for a few hours in Louisville waiting for some friends to wake up from a mint julep inspired mini bender the previous night but I know I wouldn't have stayed in a wigwam hotel or fake ran from fake dinosaurs or wondered what on earth a cup of chunky was without spending a long weekend with those same people.

I also think my idea of writing down what I have seen on each of these trips is serving me well. My memory is honestly just not as good as I would like to think it is. I can't remember all of the beer varieties I drank at Andechs Abbey or all of the details of my quest to see the Northern Lights. This blog allows me to revisit my experiences of the past year whenever I want to. I assume it will continue to jog my memory as my life goes on.

So now it's on to year two. This year seems to be shaping up as a year where I fill in some gaps in my past and venture into new parts of the United States, rather than breaking down new barriers abroad. I'm not sure I'm making more than one trip to Europe (although I'm pretty darned sure I'm going there at least once) and I may not hit a new continent this year. And all of that is OK. I still think my 47th year on this planet will be exciting and eye opening and that's really all I'm looking for. Onward!

Cerveceria Alemana in Madrid, an old haunt of Ernest Hemingway's.